Councilman Chris Smitherman referred to it Tuesday as "the basics and doing it right."

He remarked how incredibly important it was to the city's stability to get basic services where they need to be.

Smitherman believes those basics have been neglected for too long.

According to a document from the Department of Transportation and Engineering, "Beginning in 2009, the City of Cincinnati experienced a sharp reduction in the quality and condition of its roads. This worsening condition was a direct result of decreased infrastructure spending and deferred (sic) maintenance. That deferred (sic) maintenance has left the City with a problem that will grow exponentially worse if it is left (sic) unaddressed. From 2000 through 2008, the City of Cincinnati paved an average of 125 lane miles per year. Beginning in 2009 and continuing through 2014, that average dropped by nearly one-third to 89 miles paved annually."

Some suggest deferred maintenance for city snow plows and trucks and for the facility to run on $50 million. There's general maintenance facilities deterioration.

Once one eyeballs and starts basic math, the cost estimates adds up quickly.

"I would say deferred maintenance, there is about $50 million," Smitherman said. "We talk about our police department, we're talking cruisers and buildings. I would say we're in the $50 million range."

Again quoting the DOTE document, "The City of Cincinnati regularly measures the condition of its roads and maintains a pavement condition index (PCI) for its roadway network, which rates roads on a scale from ‘excellent’ to ‘failed.’ From 2004 through 2009 the City's average road was rated as ‘good’ condition. In 2010, following reductions in spending on road paving, that average rating dropped to and remains at ‘fair’ condition. We must make an historic investment in our roads. Based upon current conditions, it would require a one-time capital investment of $208 million to bring our streets to an average PCI of 75, and would place over 73 percent of our streets in 'good' or better condition."

The new administration believes patchwork budgeting doesn't work, and the city is at a tipping point with its roads and vehicles. It also views additional debt for this purpose, spread over a longer period of time, is now simply the necessary capital cost of catching up.

Music Hall might serve as a reference lesson. It is city-owned, but was not fully maintained over many years, so the private sector is now picking up the slack to improve conditions there.

"These are the things that we've got to focus on to make sure that the next generation in Cincinnati, that they're not inheriting all of these deferred maintenance issues,” Smitherman said.

For the first time, residents can expect the operations budget to include parking meter money to run the streetcar. It is scheduled to start operating in 15 months.

The city manager's recommendations go to Mayor John Cranley Wednesday.

By Charter, Cranley has 15 days to comment and present the biennial budget to City Council.

WLWT News 5's John London said Cranley's office indicated the mayor likes the budget proposal and will send it to council with a recommendation to pass it unchanged.